HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.C.R. NO.

211

TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2007

H.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

REQUESTING THE HAWAII STATE TEACHERS ASSOCIATION AND THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO CREATE CRITERIA AND THE PROCESS FOR DESIGNATING AREAS AS "RURAL" AND "HARD TO FILL" IN ORDER TO ENABLE THE TEACHERS IN THOSE DESIGNATED AREAS TO RECEIVE THE AGREED-UPON ANNUAL SALARY SUPPLEMENT

 

 

 


     WHEREAS, research has shown that the presence of a highly qualified teacher in the classroom is the single most influential factor in the level of student achievement and success; and

 

     WHEREAS, statistics show that there is a high teacher turnover rate in certain geographic area schools; and

 

     WHEREAS, Appendix XVI of the 2005-2007 memorandum of understanding between the Hawaii State Teachers Association and the State of Hawaii Board of Education lists "geographic hard-to-fill and hard-to-staff" areas and provides teachers in all the schools listed with a $3,000 annual salary supplement; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Department of Education determines which areas will receive funds for the $3,000 annual salary supplement for teachers in those areas; and

 

     WHEREAS, the high turnover rate and disproportionate staffing in certain "geographic hard-to-fill" area schools ultimately result in:

 

(1)         A lack of continuity in both student learning and teacher experience in the classroom;

 

(2)         Student populations that may be unable to reach their highest academic potential and are not ready for higher learning because they have not been prepared adequately in the lower grades; and

 

(3)         Teachers often needing to provide remedial instruction to these students in higher grades; and

 

     WHEREAS, in some of the identified "geographic hard-to-fill schools," such as in Nanakuli and Waianae, the teachers teaching there do not receive the $3,000 annual salary supplement differential; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Department of Education implements a number of creative strategies to attract, recruit and retain teachers from the continental United States, including salary differentials and bonuses; therefore

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2007, the Senate concurring, that the Legislature requests the Hawaii State Teachers Association and the Department of Education to create criteria and the process for designating areas, such as those listed in the memorandum of understanding, as "geographically hard-to-fill"' and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that, in addition to creating the criteria and process, the Department of Education and Hawaii State Teachers Association are requested to identify and recommend to the Legislature additional strategies to attract, recruit and retain teachers already in Hawaii, including:

 

     (1)  Offering in-service training or opportunities to obtain advanced degrees with state support; and

 

     (2)  Providing or developing a variety of affordable housing opportunities for teachers who serve in "geographic hard-to-fill and hard-to-staff" schools; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education is requested to report back to the Legislature 20 days before the 2008 legislative session; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this concurrent resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Education, Superintendent of Education, and President of the Hawaii State Teachers Association.

 

Report Title: 

Rural Area Schools; Teacher Turnover; Tenured Teachers